[Tomás F. Calvo]

Crazy to note that “A Day In The Life” was not released as a single.

I’d have to make separate lists, and my criteria to find the best, is songs that’t I’d take to a desert island to listen to over and over again, and be happy with them.

MonaLisa Twins (only 10??)

1. The Wide Wide Land
2. All I Want Christmas To Be
3. Count On Me
4. Once Upon A Time
5. Dreams
6. Nothing Is In Vain
7. Waiting For The Waiter
8. All About Falling In Love
9. Still A Friend of Mine
10. Club 27

The Beatles

1. Let It Be
2. Hey Jude
3. I Am The Walrus
4. Penny Lane
5. Strawberry Fields Forever
6. Blackbird
7. Something
8. Here Comes The Sun
9. Oh! Darling
10. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

BONUS: When asked what’s my favorite Beatles song, I answer Hello, Goodbye as this was the song that was ringing at the top of the charts across the world when I was born.

Post Beatles

1. Imagine
2. Maybe I’m Amazed
3. Photograph
4. Give me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)
5. My Sweet Lord
6. Band On the Run
7. Rising Sun
8. It Don’t Come Easy
9. Watching the Wheels
10. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

Rest of The Field

1. Bohemian Rhapsody -Queen
2. Space Oddity -David Bowie
3. Sounds Of Silence -Simon and Garfunkel
4. Wish You Were Here -Pink Floyd
5. Every Breath You Take -The Police
6. Spaceman -The Killers
7. Sowing The Seeds Of Love -Tears For Fears
8. Road To Nowhere -Talking Heads
9. Linger -The Cranberries
10. West End Girls -Pet Shop Boys

I have to say, this was a very hard exercise! 10 are so few songs! So many great songs, list will sure change regularly…

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Personally, I love MLT originals, they are just as good if not better than many of the covers. One group I love, that I don’t think they have covered is Badfinger. Something like “No Matter What” would fit right in, IMHO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x1MZEDQbtA

 

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Steve Lukather is another grossly underrated guitarist. Tommy Emmanuel is impressive in his finger-picking style, with his own signature. I’ve tried to lift some of his techniques (the more basic ones ?)

As for Rolling Stones magazine’s lists, I’d take them with a pinch -make that a barge- of salt. Keith Richards at #4? hmm, better than BB King, SRV, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck?? No I don’t think so. Great guitarist, inventive, but let’s be real.

Howard, I didn’t say that most people thought like me about George being better than Eric, just that a select few think like I do.

Rolling Stone’s top song of all time? “Like a Rolling Stone.” I think they are poking fun at themselves and “best of” lists. It’s all subjective.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

No doubt that the Twins version is much better than Celine’s even when Celine has a naturally gifted voice. Unfortunately, those “stars'” high notes are played incessantly until they grate. Whitney was marred by drugs (unscrupulous handlers tend to do this to their charge). Celine’s vibe gives me the creeps, so unfortunately I can’t give her a fair shake.

That album you mention by GM, has some really great ones, like Because, I Am The Walrus, Come Together…

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Not at all Howard. There are plenty of people that agree with me, and Paul is one of them. Sorry to say you’re very mistaken here. George brought Eric in, not because the others didn’t consider him a good guitarist, he brought Eric in because he knew that when there was an outsider in the studio, Paul and John acted more politely, and they had been dismissing his song, which he knew was good. And it did the trick. Paul, John and George Martin apologized to George privately and in public many times since. Eric did come up with one of the most memorable solos in rock music that day (he felt immense pressure), but you can’t say George hasn’t done the same, not only on the White Album, but Let it Be, Something, the list goes on and on with amazing solos or guitar pieces.

Paul is a great guitarist, but he’s not as good as George and he has said so himself. The ‘Taxman’ solo by Paul, came because it was George’s song and he was having trouble coming up with something he liked, a bit of a block, while Paul was listening from the outside for a while, and he’s good at coming up with music parts ? But a handful of instances where he played “instead of” certainly doesn’t overcome the hundreds of times George got on with it magnificently.

As for John wanting to replace George with Eric, it was an off the cuff remark by a hurt John. When George walked out during Let it Be sessions, he remarked “Let’s get Eric, he’s just as good and not such a headache.” Clearly he didn’t want to replace George, since he was promptly asked to return.  More so, he didn’t even think Eric was a better guitarist.

As to being underrated, it’s clear that few know that George was a serious slide guitar player, let alone one of the best. He had his “Rocky” guitar modified, by lifting the bridge, to play slide. That alone to me qualifies as underrated. Marwa Blues is a beautiful example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4I4KvFu9_I

[Tomás F. Calvo]

This is something I’ve been always intrigued as to people’s opinions. I think there are as many answers as there are guitarists out there. The problem I see with Jimi is that he died so young and didn’t have much time to develop himself further, however good he was during that handful of years. While with Clapton or George, we could see much further into their abilities to create and expand. I’ve always thought that in all the lists out there, George is constantly underrated as a guitarist for him being a Beatle, which supersedes and eclipses everything else. Side by side, I think George is (was? is?) better than Eric, though marginally. Eric has a bit more of a feel but George can do things that Eric never could and more importantly for me, George is the absolute best at coming up with the best part to fit the song. And that is for me the definition of best guitarist, drummer, bassist, etc. John, though excellent guitarist, had no confidence in his guitar playing abilities, and would shy away from playing with other people, yet when he played with Eric (The Dirty Mac – Yer Blues) he held his own. Some guitarists, like Jimmy Page, I can’t consider because of who they are as a person, no matter how good they are with a guitar.

Two guitarists that are always overlooked are Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge. While Bonnie Raitt is more acknowledged, Melissa Etheridge is virtually overlooked. I had the luck to work for one of her shows and get a close up view of her playing in rehearsals and doing her show. I think there are very few guitarists, of any sex, that could hold their own next to her.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

To the musicians here:

In the verse, it seems to me, the cord progression is D – Am7 – Bm7 – G (second time around it’s Gm) with the bass ascending D -E – F# – G.

I wrote it as D – C/E – D/F# – G  to simplify, since on the guitar you would play strings 1 thru 4 and not play the A & E strings, so it’s essentially the same chords.

The melody dances around the A and B notes for those chords and not the C & D so that points that it’s more Am7/E and Bm7/F# rather than C/E & D/F#, however it’s easier to write that way.

How would you guys write it?

Also, do you hear something different, did I make a mistake with the chords?

(and thanks Howard, for letting me know about the lyrics typos)

[Tomás F. Calvo]

I’ve always loved the lyrics of Once Upon A Time. They resonate with me personally. Beautiful writing as always!

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Who does this remind me of ??? ?

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Walking in the Air knocked me off my chair. I had never heard of it, nor the movie. Certainly I didn’t believe my ears. It’s as if Johnny Cash rode into an Ennio Morricone movie with a choir of angels. The underlying rhythm of bass, guitar and snare is absolutely exquisite, gets you on the saddle, “Riding in the midnight blue” takes on a different meaning. And I LOVE all the guitars parts meticulously placed perfectly throughout the song. Christmas or not it’s one of my new favorites.  I think it’s Mona that does the “Psshh” imitating cymbals towards the end. Love that touch.

Arranging songs this brilliantly, with this quality of engineering and recording, let alone the performance, is reserved for the big studios with the big budgets and top personnel, unless you’re the MonaLisa Twins. ?

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Thank you Jung and Howard. I’ve made that correction on the lyrics.

Any of the musicians want to lend me your ears and check those chords… did I hear right?

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Got mine yesterday (Nov 2)! Though I did download it on the 1st. So much care put into the package and personalization!

As for the music … I’m surprised yet again. This album is certainly a cut above. I’m still wrapping my head around “All I Want Christmas To Be”, the song writing skills on that one are quite something, stuff only the Beatles used to pull off. And you can’t but get up and dance to Happy Xmas.

Hope you’re all getting yours!

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Speaking of longevity and musical revolutions, here’s a good in depth analysis about The Beatles’ music in context with the concurrent “classical” music evolution. It’s the BBC so it will go at a slow pace and get a bit technical in the music department, but I feel it must if it’s going to make it’s point, which is that the Beatles changed not only popular music, but modern classical music as well. It’s very interesting IMHO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQS91wVdvYc

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Thank you Lisa for your lovely caring answer, and thank you all for such uplifting, awe inspiring music. ❤?

[Tomás F. Calvo]

Thank you Lisa!! ❤ This will mean a lot to her especially coming from you! It means a lot to me too. 😉 I was amazed at how quickly she picked up the finger picking. I only showed it to her once, and after a couple of weeks she had it.

The younger sister Isa (Isabel) picked up the violin, a much harder instrument to master, but she also has a natural ability with it.  Their parents are good friends with the founder of the Perth Symphony Orchestra, so they’ll have good guidance if they want it.

I’m curious as to how it will play out. Thank you! ???